The UST SIMBAHAYAN Community Development
Office co-organized the 5th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference
on Community Development with the theme “Reflexive Community
Development Practice Amidst Complex Realities and Alternative
Movements” held from January 22 to 23, 2018 at the School of Design
and Arts (SDA) De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Manila.
The conference was organized in collaboration with the Community
Development Society of the Philippines (CDSP) and jointly organized with
the Academic Extension Program of the Department of Student Life of De
La Salle – College of Saint Benilde, conference host; College of Social
Work and Community Development (CSWCD)-Department of Community
Development (DCD) of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman; Center for Asian Mission for the Poor, Inc. (CAMP); the International Association for Community Development (IACD), and UST.
The two-day conference aimed to see how the practice of community
development remains reflexive, that is, how community development
workers recognize the forces of change happening in the world
today and respond to such changes by altering social structures yet
maintaining people’s collective action and conscientized participation.
UP Diliman Chancellor Prof. Michael L. Tan, Ph.D., delivered the Keynote
Speech addressing the challenges of community development practice
amidst the backdrop of a world now riddled with complex realities and
alternative movements.
UST SIMBAHAYAN Assistant Director Asst. Prof. Froilan A.
Alipao, former CDSP chair, was a plenary speaker. He co-presented
with UP Diliman CSWCD-DCD professors Devralin T. Lagos and
Lenore Polotan-Dela Cruz the topic, “Reflective Community
Development.” Other speakers during the plenary sessions were
UP Diliman Sociologist Prof. Randolf S. David who gave a lecture on
“Populism and People’s Critical Participation;” DLSU College of Law Dean Atty. Jose Manuel I. Diokno, “Human Rights and Peace;” CAMP
President Rev. Chulyong Lee, ASEAN’s Neoliberal Framework, Solidarity Economy and Community Enterprises; and Ateneo De Manila
University Research Scientist Dr, Mary Racelis, “Urbanization and
(Dis)placement.”
In the parallel sessions, faculty members, students, and alumni from
UST presented their research papers: Melanie D. Turingan (Climate Justice
and Disaster Resilience); Marielyn C. Quintana, Froilan A. Alipao, and
Christian G. Catinguil (Populism and Critical Peoples’ Participation); Mark
Anthony D. Abenir and Mary Coleen Anne P. Nicolas (Human Rights
and Peace); Lee Jairus B. Lacaba (ASEAN’S Neoliberal Framework,
Solidarity Economy and Community Enterprises); and Denysse Xerxes L.
Salazar, Alexandra T. Azul, Megan G. Tapawan, and Margarethe Angela O.
Gutierrez (Community Development Education and Extension Services.)
The conference was concluded with the election of new set of officers
of CDSP with UST SIMBAHAYAN Director Assoc. Prof. Mark Anthony D.
Abenir, DSD elected as the CSPD Chair, while UST SIMBAHAYAN Training and Community Engagement Officer Asst. Prof. Melanie DP. Turingan, Ph.D., was elected Secretary.
CDSP is a professional organization of Filipino community development practitioners in the Philippines and in other countries.
